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If you like frozen lima beans (called Broad Beans in the UK) or Butter beans,
or pinto beans in the
winter, just imagine how good they would taste if you had picked a bag yourself and then
quickly froze them at home! It is also one of the simplest ways to put up a
vegetable for the winter. Here's how to do it, complete instructions in easy steps and
completely illustrated. The lima beans will taste MUCH better than anything
you've ever had from a store. The directions are the same for lima, broad beans,
butter beans and pintos, so I'll just refer to limas below.

Directions for Freezing Lima Beans

Ingredients

Equipment

Vacuum food sealer or "ziploc"
type freezer bags (the freezer bag version is heavier and protects
better against freezer burn.

1 Large pot of boiling water

2 large bowls, one filled with cold water
and ice.

1 sharp knife

Instructions

(Note; new photos are coming - my camera was damaged when I
did this recipe, so I had to borrow photos from the green beans page to
illustrate the steps)

Step 1 - Get yer lima beans!

Start
with fresh lima beans - as fresh as you can get. If there is a delay
between harvesting and freezing, put it in the refrigerator or put ice on
it. And don't use beans that are old, overripe or dried out : Harvest
while the seed is in the green stage. Wash, shell and sort according to
size (small, medium and large).

Step 2 - Wash the
lima beans!

I'm sure you can figure out how to rinse the lima beans in plain
cold or lukewarm water.

Step 3 - Shell the beans

Everyone has their own technique to shell beans. I just pop them
open with my thumb and use my thumb to slide them out.

Step 4 - Get the pots ready

Get the
pot of
boiling water ready (about
2/3 filled) and a LARGE bowl with ice and cold water.

Step 5 - Blanch the lima beans.

All fruits and vegetables contain enzymes and bacteria
that, over time, break down the destroy nutrients and change the color,
flavor, and texture of food during frozen storage. lima beans requires a brief
heat treatment, called blanching, in boiling water or steam, to
destroy the enzymes before freezing. Blanching times for lima beans is:

small beans 2 minutes,

medium beans 3 minutes and

large beans 4 minutes.

This will be just long enough to stop the action of the enzymes and kill the
bacteria.

Begin counting the blanching time as soon as
you place the lima beans in the boiling water. Cover the kettle and boil at a
high temperature for the required length of time. You may use the same
blanching water several times (up to 5). Be sure to add more hot water
from the tap from time to time to keep the water level at the required
height.

Step 6 - Cool the lima beans

Cool
lima beans immediately in ice water. Drain
the lima beans thoroughly (this shouldn't take more than a minute).

After vegetables are blanched, cool them
quickly to prevent overcooking. Plunge the lima beans into a large quantity of
ice-cold water (I keep adding more ice to it). A good rule of thumb: Cool
for the same amount of time as the blanch step. For instance, if you
blanch sweet lima beans for 3 minutes, then cool in ice water for 3
minutes.

Drain thoroughly.

Step 7 - bag the lima beans

I love the FoodSavers (see
this page for more information) with their vacuum
sealing! I am not paid by them, but these things really work.
If you don't have one, Ziploc bags work, too, but it is hard to get as
much air out of the bags. Remove the air to prevent drying and freezer
burn. TIP: If you don't own a vacuum food sealer to freeze foods, place
food in a Ziploc bags, zip the top shut but leave enough space to insert the
tip of a soda straw. When straw is in place, remove air by sucking the air
out. To remove straw, press straw closed where inserted and finish pressing
the bag closed as you remove straw. It works fairly well, but
I'll stick to the Foodsaver, since the bags are microwaveable and much
thicker than a Ziploc bag (even the Ziploc "freezer bags")

Step 8 - Done!

Pop them into the freezer, on the quick
freeze shelf, if you have one!

Tips:

Harvest early in the morning, especially if the
weather is hot, to get peak flavor.

Harvest the lima beans at its peak maturity (firm, straight, not lumpy)

Process promptly after harvesting, or keep
cooled in the fridge or with ice until then.

Frequently Asked Questions

When you take your lima beans out of the freezer,
how long do they take to cook?

Just the same as store-bought frozen lima beans: 3 to 5 minutes; just until
hot and tender.

I've frozen lima beans but they seem so rubbery after being cooked. Any
idea why?

Generally, that means the beans were either old to being with, or they were
overcooked. It only takes 3 minutes to blanch the beans, then plunge
them immediately into ice water.

How long can they be frozen?

It depends upon how cold is your freezer and how you packed them.
Colder (deep freezes) are better than frost free compartments, which
actually cycle above freezing (that's how they melt the ice). Vacuum
packing results in longer storage capability, too. Thicker bags also
help prevent freezer burn.

In general, up to 9 months in a ziploc bag in an ordinary freezer, and 14
months in a deep freeze in a vacuum packed bag. After that, the beans
won't make you sick; they just won't taste as good.

When blanching lima beans you say to cook for 3 minutes only. When
we put the beans into the boiling water the boiling stops for several
minutes before starting again. This may add 5 or 10 minutes to the process.
Is this good or should we take the beans out after 3 minutes even if the
water hasn't come back to a boil?

Excellent question. The directions from the USDA assume that we're using a
large enough pot and a large enough burner that it returns to a boil quickly
(say 2 or 3 minutes). If you can, use a larger pot on a hotter burner. If
that's not practical, I just add a couple of minutes to the time - otherwise
the food gets overcooked!

This is the same type of standard canner that my grandmother used to make everything from applesauce to jams and jellies to tomato and spaghetti sauce. This complete kit includes everything you need and lasts for years: the canner, jar rack, jar grabber tongs, lid lifting wand, a plastic funnel, labels, bubble freer. It's much cheaper than buying the items separately. You'll never need anything else except jars & lids (and the jars are reusable)! There is also a simple kit with just the canner and rack, and a pressure canner, if you want to do vegetables (other than tomatoes). To see
more canners, of different styles, makes and prices, click here!
Don't forget the Ball Blue Book!

Lids, Rings, Jars, mixes, pectin, etc.

Need lids, rings and replacement jars? Or pectin to make jam,
spaghetti sauce or salsa mix or pickle mixes? Get them all here, and
usually at lower prices than your local store!

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